A Kentucky college cheerleader was released from jail on a $100,000 bond after she allegedly hid her dead newborn baby in a trash bag in her closet.
Laken Snelling 21, was arrested on Saturday in Lexington and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
The University of Kentucky senior appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty.
She was ordered ‘to live with parents’ in home incarceration while she awaits trial.
Snelling will not have to wear an ankle monitor, LEX18 reported.
Snelling, who allegedly admitted to giving birth to the baby before her arrest, posted images in June where her boyfriend held her stomach, which appeared to have a visible bump.
Other images posted on social media in recent months also showed Snelling with what appeared to be a stomach bump.
However it’s not clear if Snelling had announced a pregnancy to anyone.
Laken Snelling 21, was released on a $100,000 bond after being accused of hiding her dead newborn in a trash bag in a closet
Images posted on social media in recent months also showed Snelling with what appeared to be a stomach bump
Laken Snelling (pictured) allegedly admitted to officers that she gave birth after being read her rights
Officers with the Lexington Police Department were called to Snelling’s home for a report of ‘a deceased infant being located inside of a closet’ on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene at around 10:30am.
It’s not clear who called police to report the alleged crime.
An arrest citation said the ‘infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag’.
Snelling admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence before hiding the supplies and the infant, who was wrapped in a towel, in a trash bag, according to the citation.
She is next scheduled in court on September 26.
As previously reported, Snelling is a member of the University of Kentucky ‘stunt team,’ a competitive cheer program, according to the school’s athletics website.
‘We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons,’ the university said in a statement to LEX 18. ‘All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.’
Snelling was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant
According to a social media account, Snelling is from White Pine, Tennessee and was studying Interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the University of Kentucky
Snelling (pictured) has used her account to share news of upcoming beauty pageants, captioning her latest post on June 11: ‘There is a pageant for EVERYONE!’
Snelling is from White Pine, Tennessee, and was studying Interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the University of Kentucky.
A near-total abortion ban has been in effect in Kentucky since 2022, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The ban only permits abortion to prevent the ‘substantial risk of death’ or to prevent the ‘serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ’ of the pregnant person.
